An Iranian Member of Parliament has warned that the gasoline produced in the country is having many adverse effects on Iranian children, giving rise to numerous forms of cancer at an early age.

Mohammadreza Tabesh, the head of Parliament’s Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, told the Khaneh Mellat Website on Monday January 7: “Why aren’t people being informed that the main cause of the emergence of cancer in the country is air pollution?”

He added: “According to official reports, 70 percent of the national air pollution is the result of the failing quality of automobiles.”

Many Iranian medical experts also claim that air pollution is the chief cause of a rise in deaths due to cancer and heart disease.

The head of Tehran Air Quality Control said in November that the Ministry of Health reported that a number of air pollutants are responsible for 4,000 to 5,000 deaths annually.

Reports also indicate that the average age of cancer sufferers is dropping in Iran, while many have warned of a “cancer tsunami” expected to hit the country by 2015.

Source: Radio Zamaneh